Improvement in railroad-switches



J. G. RAUTZ. Railroad Switch.

Patented April 2,1878

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I N. PETERS, PHGTO-LITNOGRAYFHER, WASHINGTON, DIQ' UNITED STATES JACOB O. RAUTZ, OF

PATENT QFFICE.

MINOOKA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAI LROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,945, dated April 2, 1878; application filed June 12, 1876. y i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB C. RAUTZ, of Minooka, in the county of Grundy and State of Illinois, have invented a Railroad Safety- Switch, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to prevent accidents occasioned by leaving a switch open after a train has moved OK the siding, and to avoid the delay necessary to close a switch after a train has left the siding.

In accompanying drawing, y represents the main track; F F, the side track; E and E, movable bars connected by a brace; A, brace connecting movable bars; B,brace connecting E with switch-lever; 00, rest for movable bars; Gr, iron foundations; O and D, guard-rails.

As thetrain passes down toward the sidiri g in the direction of the arrow (when the switch is in the position seen in the drawing) the flange of the left-hand Wheel passes by the point of the movable bar E, and this movable bar then acts as a guard-rail, and holds the train on the main track, While the right-hand Wheel passes from the curve in the right-hand rail to the movable bar E. While the switch is in the same position a train may move from the siding to the main track, and as the wheel leaves the end of the movable bar E it is crowded toward the main rail by the bent rails O and F, and is caught by the main rail on JACOB o. RAUTZ.

Witnesses G. E. BURNHAM,

J. P. HEILMAN.

theleft hand and passes on without disturb- 

